• The acquisition supports Novo Nordisk's goal to develop glucose responsive insulins
• Upfront payment and contingent earn-outs and milestones could exceed $800 million

Unit DX, the scientific incubator in Bristol announces that its anchor tenant Ziylo has been acquired by global healthcare company Novo Nordisk A/S in an agreement that could exceed US$800 million. Ziylo's innovative technology platform offers the potential to develop glucose responsive insulins, a ground-breaking treatment for diabetes patients worldwide.

Ziylo was co-founded by Dr Harry Destecroix, CEO while finishing his PhD in the Anthony Davis Lab at the University of Bristol. He is also the co-founder of Unit DX, along with Tom Smart, CFO and Keith MacDonald, Chairman.

The acquisition gives Novo Nordisk full rights to Ziylo's glucose binding molecule platform to develop glucose responsive insulins (GRIs). The development of this technology is a key strategic area for Novo Nordisk in its effort to develop this next generation of insulin, which would lead to a safer and more effective insulin therapy. A GRI would help eliminate the risk of hypoglycaemia, the main risk associated with insulin therapy and one of the main barriers to achieving optimal glucose control. Thus, a GRI could also lead to better metabolic control and therefore reduce the overall burden of diabetes for people living with the disease.

“We believe the glucose binding molecules discovered by the Ziylo team together with Novo Nordisk world-class insulin capabilities have the potential to lead to the development of glucose responsive insulins which we hope can remove the risk of hypoglycaemia and ensure optimal glucose control for people with diabetes,” said Marcus Schindler, SVP, Global Drug Discovery, Novo Nordisk.

Prior to closing of the acquisition, certain research activities have been spun out of Ziylo to a new company, Carbometrics, which has entered into research collaboration with Novo Nordisk. This will assist with ongoing optimisation of glucose binding molecules for use in GRIs. Carbometrics has licensed rights to develop non-therapeutic applications of glucose binding molecules, with a focus on developing continuous glucose monitoring applications. It will remain on the Unit DX site in Bristol.

Ziylo's glucose binding molecules are synthetic molecules that were designed by Dr Anthony Davis at the University of Bristol. These stable, synthetic molecules exhibit an unprecedented selectivity to glucose in complex environments such as blood. The combination of this technology with state-of-the-art insulin engineering pioneered by Novo Nordisk aspires to realise the world's first glucose responsive insulin and transform the treatment of diabetes.

Novo Nordisk acquires all shares in Ziylo for an upfront payment and earn-outs with contingent milestone payments. Total payments under the agreement could ultimately exceed 800 million dollars upon the achievement of certain development, regulatory and sales milestones by Novo Nordisk.